Nanooks of the South . . . After a Fashion

Seven adventurous San Diegans jumped into kayaks last week and set out to spot some whales rumored to be making their annual migration from Alaska to Mexico.

The six men and one woman--mail carriers and insurance representatives among them--left the La Jolla shore and paddled five miles out to sea.

The leader of the three-hour expedition was Ed Gillet--demonstrating proper paddling at right--a veteran kayaker who has spent the last few years skimming across several oceans.

But when the group reached their rendezvous point, the whales weren’t there. There was the usual melange of ocean life, including barking seals and some pelicans plunging into the water for a bite to eat. But the whales never showed.

It was still too nice a day for anyone to express disappointment. Diane Krieger said it was an opportunity to experience “serenity, to move along quietly among the wildlife.”